Shawn Patrick – ‘Fear and Loathing on Long Island’ EP

Shawn Patrick – ‘Fear and Loathing on Long Island’ EP

Shawn Patrick is a Long Island, New York-based hip-hop producer. The young and up-and-coming producer has really been making a name for himself in recent years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music production from Full Sail University and produced “Let You Know” and “I Show” for Marc Andre‘s SixFourteen album, which was released on November 18th, 2016 as an indie album.

Fear and Loathing on Long Island contains seven beautifully produced and arranged hip-hop and soul pieces. Beginning the EP is “Girls,” which is filled with eclectic and luscious piano melodies and accompanied by simplistic vocals. Second on the EP is “You’re On,” which moves to a more retro sound. The entire song is produced around my favorite chord progression: IV, V, vi. The beauty in this piece is that it moves so perfectly throughout, encapsulating the listener to really focus on the sliding, pitched synths.

“Too Much” is saturated with a heavily filtered sample that keeps the beat moving throughout. “Hiding,” my second personal favorite off of the EP, is a hard-hitter. The vocals, along with the bells, sound like they came right out of a horror movie. The slamming 808 sits perfectly underneath kick drives the piece along as well. “Cheated” has 808s moving all over the place, accompanied by a sketchy sounding pluck moving throughout. Reverse vocals and vocal stabs occur throughout as well. “Purple Skies” and “Relapse” bring the short-lived but powerful EP to a closing. Cheerful, happy, and positive-sounding, “Purple Skies” is a hip-hop masterpiece. The sample has similar movements to “You’re On.” This makes it a perfect additive to this EP. “Relapse” contains a subtle, moving piano that sits so effortlessly in the background while the 8-bit sounding pluck melody moves around.

“75% of this EP was made after two in the morning. My friend and I were hanging out on New Years Eve and we came up with a rough draft for ‘You’re On.’ It took me about two hours to finish the main structure of the beat. I take advice from Noah Shebib, aka ’40,’ my favorite producer of all time. He says to let the melodies dictate the drums. Some producers start with a drum beat, but I have to have a melody to guide me as to where the beat is going to go.” -Shawn Patrick

Fear and Loathing on Long Island is an EP that is overflowing with wonderfully crafted hip-hop beats and samples. It has a beat and vibe for just about everyone, including those that aren’t particular fans of hip-hop music.